Michel Léveillé and the Maine Black Bears open their season against third-ranked Minnesota this weekend.

No one can accuse Maine Coach Tim
Whitehead and his 11th-ranked Black Bears
of ducking an early season challenge. The
men from Orono kick off the 2006-07
hockey season by taking on the third-ranked
Minnesota Golden Gophers in the
US Hockey Hall of Fame Game in St. Paul,
MN. Despite the loss of current Boston
Bruin Phil Kessel, Minnesota has firepower,
and should test Maine’s super sophomore
goalie, Ben Bishop (Des Peres, MO), and
Maine’s traditionally solid defense, led by
senior rearguard Mike Lundin (Apple Valley,
MN). Still, Maine can put the puck in the
net as well. Last year, the Black Bears led
Hockey East in scoring, and 12 letterman
return up front, including senior captain
Michel Léveillé (Levis, QC).

The weekend also poses a hefty
challenge to the Vermont Catamounts, who
open the season at the annual Ice Breaker
Invitational against perennial ECACHL
powerhouse Colgate. The 14th-ranked
Raiders, who are again expected to battle
for ECAC supremacy, will be a familiar foe
for Vermont. The Catamounts, one year
removed from the ECAC, hope to build on
their inaugural Hockey East campaign,
when they went 10-11-6 (18-14-6 overall),
good for sixth place in the league. Coach
Kevin Sneddon will rely heavily on a
defense that only lost a single senior, and
stalwart netminder Joe Fallon (Bemidji,
MN). At forward, the Catamounts are young
but fast, and return seven of their Top Ten
snipers, including leading scorer Torrey
Mitchell (Greenfield Park, QC), Dean
Strong (Mississauga, ON)), and
homegrown Peter Lenes (Shelburne, VT).

Vermont has the added incentive of
knowing that five Hockey East squads have
won the Ice Breaker in its 10-year history –
Boston College (1998, 2003), New
Hampshire (2000, 2004), and Boston
University (2002). If the Catamounts beat
Colgate, they’ll take on the winner of
Friday’s Denver/Miami match.

In more conventional early season fare,
six Hockey East teams will face Canadian
squads in a series of exhibitions. On Friday,
New Brunswick takes on Massachusetts,
St. Thomas faces off against Providence,
and St. Francis Xavier will be at UMass
Lowell. The three Canadian teams are back
in action on Saturday, with St. Thomas
matching up with Boston College, New
Brunswick visiting Boston University, and
St. Francis Xavier at New Hampshire.

Northeastern kicks off its regular season
on Tuesday, Oct. 10, against Hockey East
rival Boston College, which enters the
season ranked not only No. 1 in the
league’s Coaches’ Poll, but in the top spot
in the major college polls as well.
Meanwhile, the Merrimack Warriors have
an extra week to warm up before trekking
across the continent for their season
opener against Alaska-Anchorage in the
Nye Frontier Classic on Friday, Oct. 13.